Thank you so much for another year of support from you, our amazing Friends. Thank you for your faithful attendance at concerts, events and rehearsals, thank you for your financial support for tours, artists and the beautiful new bells.
In 2016, the DR Symphony Orchestra, the DR Vocal Ensemble, the DR Concert Choir, the DR Big Band, the DR Girls' Choir and the DR Choir School produced almost 300 activities. Over 200,000 audiences have experienced music from one of DR's choirs and orchestras live, and hundreds of thousands of listeners, viewers and web users were enriched by the music from one of the 8 ensembles.
Personally, I aim to be present almost every time a new concert is created. I almost succeeded in 2016, and it's always a pleasure, whether the concert is played in Aa Church on Bornholm, in the square in Nakskov or in our Concert Hall here in DR.
Because wherever our singers and musicians perform, their professionalism and commitment shines through every time, based on the principle that a concert must be delivered with the highest quality and commitment as if it were a matter of life or death. If that doesn't happen, the music is at best a boring pastime and at worst just a waste of effort. I have enormous respect for that attitude, and I know it goes straight to the hearts of the audience, who acknowledge it by turning up in large numbers to our concerts.
Few outsiders realise how much it has cost and continues to cost each artist to get as far as our artists are. The audience doesn't need to know that either, so that we can concentrate on enjoying the music. When you sit in the auditorium, as I do, you can actually feel the audience soaking it all in. They do this because it makes them feel good, because it enriches them, delights them and perhaps creates a small space of freedom from everyday life, where life can be seen from another dimension, where for a few liberating seconds you let your dreams have a little space for a light, little weightless dance before everyday life hits again.
The next season is almost finalised and will already be published for DR Symphony Orchestra subscribers in February. For non-subscribers and the other ensembles, the large, complete season catalogue will be released on 1 March, giving you a good overview of all the delights.
In the new year we fold The Danish National Symphony Orchestra The orchestra is really coming into its own with the new chief conductor, Fabio Luisi. They will be doing this both here in Copenhagen and on a tour to the USA this spring, where the programme includes Mahler's 1st Symphony and Wesendonck Lieder with the world-famous Deborah Voigt. Of course, we will also be playing the programme here in Copenhagen, and I highly recommend everyone to experience the concert. Four of the Symphony Orchestra's prominent solo players will perform solo works in 2017 - look forward to hearing Lasse Mauritzen in Richard Strauss' Horn Concerto, Eva Steinaa in Strauss' Oboe Concerto and Christina Åstrand and Per Salo in a brand new work by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgren, completed shortly before the composer's death in 2016.
DR VocalEnsemblelet celebrates its 10th anniversary on 15 January with the choir's chief conductor Marcus Creed. It will be a spectacular concert in the Glyptotek's beautiful ballroom, and there are still a few tickets available. If you enjoy choral singing at the highest international level, you'll want to put this concert in your diary.
DR Concert Choir are singing marvellously under their new singing master Bart van Reyn. Experience them in Schumann's Faust scenes under Michael Schønwandt this January, in Verdi's Requiem in February or in December in the masterpiece, The book with seven seals, written by Franz Schmidt and conducted by Fabio Luisi.
DR Girls Choir are having great success with their new concept, Your Danish SongAnd of course, you can experience them in the traditional concerts such as the Spring Concert, the Dark Concert, the Summer Tour and the popular Christmas concerts, where the Concert Hall is transformed into a magnificent cathedral that creates the Christmas atmosphere. The entire DR Choir School also participates, where the Junior Choir in particular shines with a unique high quality.
DR BigBand see if they can achieve another CD award in 2017 - as they did in 2016. There should be a very good chance of that, with the exciting releases that are on the horizon - in addition to this year's exciting and swinging jazz concerts.
On a few occasions, all DR's ensembles perform together. In 2017, this will happen when all the music moves to Struer for a whole week in June. Workshops and large and small concerts are organised in close collaboration with the local music scene, Struer Municipality and the local business community. We have chosen to call the event A City Plays UpIt is intended as a continuation of our visit to Nakskov in 2016, and will hopefully be the beginning of a new tradition where all DR's choirs and orchestras "play up to" a selected Danish city every year.
DR's Summer Festival is also a tradition where all the ensembles participate. This year again in June, families with children are invited to enjoy children's concerts, instrument workshops, workshops and lots of great music.
Yes, I could go on and on about concerts that are not to be missed - but I know it's impossible to catch them all. Remember that all productions with DR's Choirs and Orchestras are broadcast on either radio, internet or TV. Here you can always share in the musical delights.
Finally, let me once again thank all our Friends, the Venneforeningen board and chairman Mogens Rubinstein for their outstanding support. We are incredibly grateful for your enthusiasm and excitement, and we look forward to singing and playing for you in 2017.
We wish you a happy and musically prosperous 2017.
Kim Bohr
Head of DR's Choirs and Orchestras